China Eyes Troop Presence In Pakistan, Xi Jinping Mounts Pressure With Dragon’s Strategic Game Plan

International News: No one is safe from the onslaught of terrorism in Pakistan. Whether it is Pakistan's own citizens or the citizens of its best friend China who are working on Pakistan's projects. Pakistan's Shahbaz government is not able to guarantee the safety of its citizens to China. On this, Shahbaz Sharif, who had gone to attend the SCO summit and parade, has been cornered by Xi Jinping.

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday pressed Pakistan to tighten security for Chinese citizens working on billions of dollars worth of infrastructure projects in the country. Chinese citizens have been victims of terror attacks several times in the past years.

Pakistan is a focal point of Chinese President Xi Jinping's global Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) projects, but threats to the safety of Chinese workers in the country have become a cause of tensions between the two close allies.

What did Xi say to Shahbaz Sharif

"China supports Pakistan's fight against terrorism and hopes Pakistan will take effective measures to ensure the safety of Chinese personnel, projects and institutions in Pakistan and create a safe environment for bilateral cooperation," Xi said in a meeting with Pakistan's prime minister on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, according to Chinese state-run news agency Xinhua.

Although the press brief issued from the Pakistani Prime Minister's office mentions the meeting with Xi, the security issue has not been mentioned.

China wants to land its soldiers in Pakistan

The Pakistani government has deployed thousands of army troops, paramilitary units and police to protect Chinese projects and personnel. But Beijing is pressuring a reluctant Islamabad to allow its security personnel to work in the country.

Chinese projects in Pakistan

China has built power plants and roads in Pakistan in the past 10 years and developed Pakistan's Gwadar port in the Indian Ocean. Apart from this, China has made many other investments in Pakistan, but most of the planned Chinese Belt and Road investment of $ 60 billion has been postponed due to security concerns.

China Projects Under Terror Threat

Both jihadists and separatists have targeted Chinese personnel. Chinese projects have been damaged, especially in the southwestern Balochistan province where Gwadar is located. Separatists have also increased attacks on Pakistani security forces in the region in recent months, leaving China concerned about future plans.